Book One: Boring Love
by Piratecheif
Summary: Donatello feels secluded because of his lack of exciting personality. It takes meeting an ordianry woman such as Jennifer Wilkinson to realize just how fun and rebelious he can really be. Book one of the 'Love' series. DonXOC Rated M for later chapters
1. The Meeting of Two Boring People

**A/N: My first crack at Ninja Turtle fanfiction! I've got this big idea of making one love story for each of the turtles and them all tying into together. And since Donatello is my favorite, naturally he'd be first :). Warning though, you have to read them in order! Or else they just won't make sense. Happy reading!**

Donatello flinched as the screwdriver he'd been using slipped and sliced his finger. Once examining and noting the shallowness of the wound he gave an annoyed glance towards the source of his distraction. Mikey was shrieking in outrage and the sound of virtual machinery exploding filled the lair. Don heard Leo's subtle command of silence but the youngest of the four was not having it. He always got this way when he lost. Video games were **his** thing, but cars were Raph's, and it seemed even with the bad graphics he was able to control the automobile masterfully. Sighing Donny abandoned his tools and examined his latest repair. He could have swore the last time he fixed this toaster he made it near indestructible! It survived Raph's rage, Casey's clumsiness, and even Mikey's excessive use. But it seemed no kitchen appliance could go through one of Leo's fumbling and live to tell the tale. Don was **still** trying to figure out how he managed to get both a knife and a fork tangled in the heating coils. Sighing once more he left his lab, toaster in tow, and headed to the kitchen. Leo sat in the recliner in the living room while Raph and Mikey shoved each other on the couch. After discarding the burden he stood a few feet from the atmosphere of pure energy.

They were still very loud, even now when all focus was on the television screen. The noise annoyed him, and at that moment a deep need to isolate himself settled into his bones. Like Leo once did, a phase he'd gone through. But he hadn't realized it, only having been trying to focus on becoming a better leader. Now though he sat relaxed in the arm chair, tolerating his brothers' rowdiness with a smirk that ran deeper than any outsider would understand. Don understood it, but right now he felt like an outsider. Lately he'd been feeling that way, feeling as if he was slowly drifting from the once close band he shared with his brothers.

_Like being put on the back burner_, he thought suddenly in epiphany. Yes, he remembered this occurring before, even before Leo. At one point Raph had been in the same position when they were kids. He'd been too rough, too hurtful, and as a result his brothers (Donny included) had almost completely just ignored him. He remembered Raph's form literally trembling in anger as he realized what they were doing. It took a lot of work, but Master Splinter had been the one to set him on the right track. Hours of extra practice spent in the dojo formulating ways to control his rage so as not to become undesirable company had paid off, and now he was the Raph they all knew and loved. Angry, but never hurtful. At least most of the time.

Leo also had his shared time with Splinter to shape his ability to lead without causing rebellion amongst the team. Then he'd been sent away to South America. Don smiled slightly. It had taken nearly the end of the world before Raph accepted the fact that Leo was better than him. Maybe not in fighting, they all knew Raph was the strongest when he really focused, but in the level of maturity. They still argued, they still fought, but Don knew Raph respected Leo beyond any measure.

Now it was his turn so to speak. Having always been an observer during these periods of distress, he wondered just what he'd done to cause this change. His brow furrowed and eyes took on a distant look as he began to think. No particular action really stood out, and the more he'd thought about it, the more he realized he hadn't done **anything**!

...hadn't done anything...

Don's eyes shifted wildly and his mouth opened in disbelief.

Really? That was his fault? Not...not being wild? Spontaneous? The more he thought about it the more dread seemed to weigh him down. Leo was the leader, stoic, responsible, and wise. Raph was the hothead, angry, rash, and rebellious. And of course Mikey was the goofball, energetic, annoying, and carefree. So what was he? The techy of course, smart...

...boring...

...and bland...

A heavy sigh fled his lips as he crossed his arms and gazed sadly at his brothers. It was true, he knew it. There were times when they couldn't even try to talk to him because his words would just fly right over their heads. It seemed now they wouldn't even try. Shifting his weight Don suddenly felt a rush of anger. They hadn't even invited him to watch this silly little video game tournament! He'd just been handed the toaster by a sheepish looking Leo before said brother walked off the join the others. A sadness mixed slightly with his anger as he watched Leo chuckle.

When had he become like his brother? It almost seemed as if they had switched places, for it used to be Leo the one standing idle while he joined in the merriment. It should be **him** high fiving Raph right now! It should be **him** punching Mikey in the shoulder and calling him a dork! Donny's fist clenched as a sense of sickness washed over him. What was wrong with him? Wishing his brother back into solitude just because **he** was now the brother being left out...the frustration of it all was giving him a migraine. Unfolding his arms they fell weakly at his sides, his balance slightly affected by the emotional stress.

"Hey," he began, though cringed at the way his voice cracked. The volume was cranked pretty high so he spoke up. "I'm going out!"

Raph and Mikey paid no mind and Leo only gave him a nod before turning back to the screen.

Of course they wouldn't question him. Where would boring old Donny go anyway? It wasn't like **Don** would get into trouble. No, **Don** was the good brother, the quiet brother, the-

Without another word he stormed out of the lair and into the sewer. His pace didn't slow until he'd nearly reached the exist closest to the junkyard. He felt numb and sluggish, and all he wanted to do was get out. He shook his head to try and clear the mental storm brewing that contained nearly all his negative emotions. In his mind he knew his brothers didn't care any less for him than they ever had, but that didn't necessarily mean he'd changed for the better either. Climbing up the ladder he took deep breaths. He just needed something new, something different. Maybe a little time away from his brothers would do them all some good. Nearing the entrance Donatello took a final breath and calmed slightly.

Yeah, something different.

That's all he needed.

And as he lifted the manhole cover, that's exactly what he got.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer Wilkinson had never been the wasteful type. Not in substance per say but with things such as time, emotions, and actions. Which is why at that moment she was silently fuming in annoyance at her own natural bodily functions. It was one o' clock in the morning and she was wandering the dangerous streets of New York just because she was on her period.

Her eyebrow twitched at how this errand came about completely unplanned. She'd woken up at six a.m. to appropriately dress for work, arrived at her office at precisely seven-thirty, worked till five, and then headed home for her routine errands and chores. She knew it was about time for her monthly dues, but what she hadn't expected was the abnormality of her cramps. She could honestly say they were the worst she'd ever had the displeasure of experiencing, and she knew she wouldn't last the night without taking something. And that's how she ended up walking home after midnight, all because she'd run out of midal. Before heading out Jennifer had briefly toyed with the idea of making her soon-to-be-husband get out of bed and fetching some, but she realized it would be better if she just went herself. The last time she'd done so he'd came back with a half eaten pack of mentos.

Heaving a frustrated sigh Jennifer continued her brisk gate down the sidewalk near the junk yard. She was repulsed by the thought that she had to live with the piles of rusting metal as her balcony view, but the apartment was the cheapest and closest to work she could find. Not according to plan, but realistic. Turning she quickly looked both ways before crossing the street.

_Almost home_, she mentally sighed. _Then I can just go to bed._

A vicious cramp abruptly hit and her pace faltered, and then suddenly the ground was moving. At first she thought it was simply a loss of balance, after all, she was in heels. But then reality hit and she confirmed the ground was indeed moving, causing her knees to buckle and land on her butt with a sharp yelp. Her eyes went wide as the manhole cover she'd been standing on seemed to have floated up and brushed her off like it was tired of her standing on it. But that was obviously not the case as her gray eyes were suddenly locked with chocolate brown ones. She stared in shock at what looked like a man coming out of the sewer, but he was no longer moving. Instead he remained stock still, eyes wide with terror. It was dark, but she could still see his silhouette. He was stocky, muscular, and oddly shaped. And...green.

With a sharp intake Jennifer did the only sensible thing one would do in this situation.

She screamed.

**A/N: Ah, the beginning. It's always rocky, but it'll get better. Sorry all you Donny fans (me included) for making him a bit angsty. I don't like it either, but it's necessary. Please tell me what you think :).**


	2. Alcohol and Alligators Don't Mix

Donatello sighed as his eyes strained painfully in the darkness of the room. He rubbed them roughly and fireworks exploded beneath his eyelids, making him regret the action immediately as a wave of dizziness washed over him. After it passed he continued gazing at his computer screen. It'd been a week since the 'incident', in which he'd ran as soon as the woman screamed. Out of paranoia, the next night he returned to the surface around ten and kept watch from the rooftops near the junkyard manhole until a little after one. Trudging back he was too tired to be upset about nobody commenting on his late night adventure. Don noticed Leo had stopped questioning his outings about a few months ago, one day worried and the next...

Shaking his head Don continued to fast forward the video footage, watching the passing time at the corner of the screen with his peripherals. After his failed reconnaissance Don decided to go about it an easier way by installing cameras at key points on the fire escapes and the chain linked fence of the junkyard. It took a bit longer to do since Mikey wanted to tag along, so Don only had about three days of footage. It was all he needed though to realize he wouldn't be running into this woman ever again. It was only by pure chance that they'd encountered, for the woman always passed the manhole precisely at five thirty and never returned until seven o'clock in the morning. It seemed to be the path she took going to and from work, which apparently wasn't too far away since she obviously walked there. In fact one of his cameras revealed she lived only two apartment buildings down the street from the manhole.

Donny rubbed his chin in thought as he watched the footage of the woman crossing the street, pausing a moment at the manhole before running quickly to avoid an oncoming car. The video was in black and white, but Don could remember vividly the flaming shade of red that was her hair and the stormy shade of gray that even in the dark had stood out in her eyes. Take away the light splatter of freckles and she would look almost exactly like April. They could have been sisters had Don not known April was an only child. Which reminded him, he had to gather a little information about this woman to make sure she wasn't a threat before he completely dropped the subject. First he needed her name, then occupation, and lastly her criminal record. A little bit of her personal record wouldn't hurt either.

It was just a precaution.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer pulled off her gloves and disposed of them properly with disgust. Who the hell would believe that **not** brushing your teeth would prevent them from all falling out? Apparently this last patient did, and she cringed at the memory of his plaque build up. She'd had to literally chip away the food remnants because the years had solidified it like cement!

"Thanks again Jen," said her boss as he shyly took the finished paperwork from her. He didn't notice her eye twitch in annoyance at the nickname

"No problem Josh. I'm going to head out now-"

"H-hang on a sec!" he blurted before she could leave the office. Jennifer rolled her eyes. She knew what he was going to ask, just like all the other times.

"Do you want to go grab a drink later on?" he began almost nervously, like a teenaged boy asking out his crush since middle school. "I know this great bar down-"

"Sorry Josh, not today," she refused gently, then added a bit sharply, "My fiance and I are going out to dinner tonight."

Josh deflated and nodded his understanding. Jennifer gathered her stuff quickly and left before the atmosphere could get any more awkward. Josh, her boss and chief dentist, obviously had a thing for her. Everybody at the office knew that. But besides the fact that she was engaged, he just wasn't her type. He had brown eyes for one thing, a shallow pet peeve she admitted was normally a deal breaker for dating. Secondly his body wasn't necessarily up to par, a bit chunky and too soft for her taste. But that wasn't to say she liked muscular men either. Jen was more into the lanky look. She had no idea why, but never dwelled on it. It was a waste of time to try and trace the source of her odd taste in bodily features, but she did have time to make a checklist.

Jennifer Wilkinson's perfect man contained: blue eyes, a thin body, thick black hair, a predictable personality, straight teeth, and the ability to never **ever** surprise her.

She loathed surprises more than anything in the world. They always messed up her plans.

Sean Stephens, her fiance, was all of those things. They had dated all through high school and he had finally popped the question after she graduated from college. Now after being engaged for nearly two years Jennifer was finally ready to begin planning the wedding. She had known she would marry Sean after graduating high school and accepted that fact. After all it seemed the obvious choice to take him instead of starting all over again with someone else. He was all she wanted in a relationship, predictable and safe. He would never break her heart by cheating and she would never stray from her carefully planned life. After getting married they would move to the country and have kids. Sean would continue his job as a professional photographer and she as a dental assistant. They would grow old together and frequently sit quietly on their front porch, rocking back and forth on their chairs as they lived out the rest of their lives in peace.

Yep, that was her plan.

Jennifer paused in the street as she came close to the manhole.

After screaming and apparently scaring the creature back from where it came she'd ran home so fast she broke the heel off her favorite pair of shoes. The rest of the night had been filled with near hysterical drinking and worried questioning from Sean. He had quietly listened as she retold her encounter with the strange green man and in the end suggested maybe the dark had played tricks on her sight. After a bit more wine Jennifer had calmed enough to accept that he was probably right. Perhaps it was an alligator or some other sort of animal that were often rumored to be nesting in New York's sewers. The thought made her shiver. That seemed pretty dangerous, and to have one so near her home was even more terrifying.

A car honking startled Jennifer and made her dash quickly to the sidewalk. The heavy grocery bag swung crazily by her side and she gripped it harder so it wouldn't slap against her thigh. She grimaced at the item it held, dreading what she had to do with it.

But an alligator near her home made her stomach twist with nerves. She only hoped she had enough drugs...

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello slowly made his way to the lab, wincing at his sore muscles. Today they'd practiced sparring and it was just his luck to have been paired up with Raph. The big brute was just as unkind as ever, and not even his brother's cries of mercy lessened the beating. Settling into his chair Don immediately booted up the computer. The live feed from the cameras popped up and he sat for a moment to watch the stillness of the area. Cars never came down the street at this time of night which had always made it the perfect time to go topside and raid the junkyard. His eyes glazed a bit as they stared aimlessly. There was no need for this anymore. The woman (which he now knew was named Jennifer Wilkinson) was as harmless as a fly. She graduated after only two years of college and settled for a certificate rather than a full fledged degree. She worked only a few blocks away where the apartment strip ended and the stores began, and she was engaged to a man she'd known since high school.

No history of ever being involved with the purple dragons.

No trouble whatsoever.

Not even a parking ticket.

Booooriiing...

Blinking Donny suddenly jumped as the object of his thoughts appeared on the screen. With a bit of embarrassment Don realized she'd been there for quite a while now and he hadn't even noticed. Curiously he watched her twist her head violently from side to side before dropping something in front of the manhole and darting away. Alert now Don made sure she'd gotten back to her apartment before running out of the lair and through the sewers. When he reached the manhole he paused and caught his breath. What in the world did she drop? Was it a bomb? No, it had looked more like a blob than a definite shape, and it jiggled a little when it met the ground. Cautiously he lifted the manhole and immediately recoiled. The strange object he feared was right in front of him and emitting one of the most foul smells. Wrinkling his snout Don stared at the blob before finally poking it.

"Ew!" he exclaimed as the object gave into the pressure with sickening 'squish' sound. Bringing back his finger he shook off what felt like slime.

Disgusted but equally curious Donatello reached out and (whilst chanting "Ew, ew, ew!") grabbed the object and dropped back into the manhole.

"What the-?"

Staring in disbelief Donatello could only gape in confusion as words failed.

It was...meat? And a very sizable chunk too. Shifting it to his other hand Don gasped as the tender meat practically fell apart in his hand and tiny white pills clattered to the sewer floor. Panicking he scattered and tried to catch the rolling pills before they were lost to the current. This only resulted in tripping himself and falling face first into the storm water.

Cold, wet, and grumpy Don slouched all the way home with the remaining pills and meat with the sole intention of analyzing and piecing together this new puzzle.

XxXxXxXxX

Michelangelo yawned and scratched his plastron as he made his late nightly trip to the bathroom. He blinked confusedly at the lights in Don's lab. Why was he still up? Ah well. The nerdy turtle was probably just inventing again. Mikey continued on, having planned to dismiss it but a sudden burst of guffaws shook his senses awake. Curiously Mikey changed his course and tiptoed to the cracked door of Don's lab. Peering inside Mikey's brow furrowed as he watched his brother gasp for air and hold his stomach. Tears pricked his eyes and he nearly fell into the wall with the force of his laughter.

"Oh god she thinks I'm gonna eat her!" he exclaimed and about choked on his lack of oxygen.

Mikey jaw dropped and his confusion escalated. Quietly he continued to watch...

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello wiped his leaking eyes and flinched at the pain in his cheeks from grinning. He just couldn't believe it! The pills, after a close inspection, revealed themselves to be Valium, a pill used to relax patients before an oral procedure (well that's what **she** used them for). He estimated roughly an average person would need to ingest about 20 to 30 milligrams for it to knock them out. The meat however had contained nearly 100 milligrams, enough to knock out a very large animal!

Which was exactly what she'd been planning.

After calming down a bit more he also found small traces of propofol, an anesthetic put in IV's to put patients asleep. He frowned at this. Ingestion of it would probably kill someone, and if not it would most definitely make them extremely sick. Don figured she just put it in there as a precaution. There really wasn't much, but even some would at least make a large animal such as an alligator a little sick and sluggish.

So, she thought he was an alligator? He chuckled a bit more before stretching and switching off his lab light. He yawned and scratched his plastron in thought, not noticing Mikey's retreating footsteps. Well, what was he going to do now? The obvious choice would be to just leave well enough alone. There was no need to draw attention to himself. But what if she saw the meat missing and thought an alligator really **had** eaten it? And what if she thought now that it had found food it would hang around? What if she called animal control and they searched the sewers?!

Don jerked his head and took a breath. He was over thinking it. Animal control wouldn't even so much as lift a finger unless multiple complaints were brought to attention. And maybe this Jennifer would also come up with more than one reason for the meat to disappear. Like hobos, or cats. But something still bothered him. He couldn't just leave her hanging without an answer, even if it was a false one. So what to do...

Don laid in his bed now, staring through the darkness at his ceiling. He knew Jennifer wasn't a threat and she didn't have any ties to anything even remotely risky to his family's safety. So...what if he contacted her? It wouldn't hurt...right?

Getting frustrated he rolled and snuggled his pillow. That would probably be more trouble than it was worth. She would end up with more questions and **he** would be on the receiving end of Leo's rage if he was caught. But he couldn't just leave her hanging like that. She seriously thought she was in danger, and he couldn't let himself be that cause of a constant fear. But if Leo found out...

Don's eyes narrowed and face reddened with anger.

Leo, Leo, Leo! It was always about him! Why was it always about pleasing **him**? Sure, he was the leader. Sure, he usually knew best. But this constant tiptoeing around his emotions was getting ridiculous! Why should he let Leo control his life by cowering before his authority? He may have been the leader, but they were still brothers, equals, and Don should not allow his actions to rely solely on what Leo thought was right. He was his own person, and it was time he started reminding everybody about that fact.

Tomorrow he would end Jennifer's fearful suspicion.

Even if it meant future complications.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer sat in her work's break room staring at a crinkled slip of paper. Nothing moved, no sound was heard, and Jennifer wasn't even sure if she was breathing. All she could do was stare in silent shock at the chicken scratch just barely legible from the smudging of tire tracks. She'd woken up a bit earlier that morning so she'd be able to analyze the area around the manhole for any traces of a large animal coming to the surface. Her heart had stopped about twenty feet away when she'd noticed the meat was missing. It hadn't been hit by a car because it was not scattered or smeared on the pavement, but it seemed to have not been chewed either, for no scraps were left behind. It looked to have been picked up. As she got closer she noticed a yellow splotch on the normally charcoal black manhole cover. Jennifer was surprised to see it was a note, taped down carefully so it would not have blown away in the wind or torn to shreds by cars.

Now she sat with that same piece of paper, reading and re-reading the same, short message that had nearly made her faint. It wasn't the wording per say, but the fact that the green...thing had actually tried to contact her.

"Hey."

Jennifer jumped slightly but did not turn at the sound of her boss's voice. She could feel Josh pause over her shoulder as he took a second to read the message.

"'I'm not an alligator.' What does that suppose to mean?"

Jennifer closed her eyes and sighed, annoyed now that her morning was completely ruined.

"It means," she began, standing and stuffing the note into her scrubs pocket. "That I need a drink."

**A/N: Well, not too happy with this chapter, but it is what it is. It was tough writing Don's emotions about being a coward up against Leo. Believe me, I'm not bashing Leo, but right now Donny just needs someone to blame. I'm finally getting to Don/Jen scenes, so don't quit reading yet folks!**


	3. A Sensible Sticky Note Addiction

Jennifer sat in her apartment kitchen with a wine glass in one hand and a pen in the other. For three days she'd been jittery about the mysterious note and annoyed that she couldn't just ignore it. Sean didn't comment, only silently worried from a distance. He knew when certain moods swung along to just leave her alone. But Jennifer was sick of being alone. Because when she was alone all she had was her thoughts, and the only thing on her mind was what the hell had been in the sewer that night.

"What are you?" she whispered to herself. She stared hard at the blank sticky note, then blinked when the pale yellow began obscuring her vision and multiplying. All three days she'd been thinking about what to do. She thought about it at breakfast, during work, laying in bed...hell! She even thought about it in the privacy of her own bathroom when she felt most alone! And now, after three wine glasses and a bit of chocolate cake, Jennifer sat and tried to muster the courage to put pen to paper.

_But what if it's some psychopathic serial killer?_ She thought with hesitation. Or it could be some weird, twisted prank...or a rapist...or a stalker...

"I'm going to get some take out," Sean said as he passed by her.

She accepted his peck on the cheek and ignored his surprisingly heavy footsteps as he left. The yellow still remained unscathed and her lip curled as the blankness seemed to mock her. Taking a deep breath Jennifer then swallowed the rest of her bitter wine and clicked the pen open.

This had to end.

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello leaned back in his lab chair and stared at the dirty sticky note. He was honestly surprised to find it taped neatly to the manhole cover earlier near midnight. He yawned and scratched his chin, wondering why such a boring person such as Jennifer Wilkinson would suddenly step out of her comfort zone. He was so positive she would call animal control he'd paced the sewers with fear and regret. Not because there was a possibility that they would be discovered, but because it would worry Leo to death and Don and his brother's would get caught in the crossfire. But now he could relax. It seemed Jennifer was not as predictable as she had formerly led him to believe.

_"What are you?"_

He wrinkled his snout in thought. How could he answer that? Why was he even **thinking** of answering that? His note was suppose to be a one time thing. But would it be right to just leave her high and dry? Wasn't that what he was trying to avoid in the first place? Shaking his head Don placed the sticky note in one of his desk drawers. Then he shuffled through a few papers before finding a clean one, grabbed a pen, and thought. What was he going to say?

_"I'm a giant mutated turtle."_

Rolling his eyes he knew that wouldn't be an option. Blunt and straightforward was Mikey and Raph's thing. As well as idiocy. No, he would just have to dodge the question...but how could he-

"Hey Don."

Donatello peered over his shoulder at a sleepy eyed Leo. The elder brother was trying to lean casually on the door frame but really only looked ready to pass out at any given moment.

"Hey Leo," he answered before resuming his thoughts. Leo was too out of it right now to catch wind of anything that might seem suspicious.

"You went out again."

Though his voice was groggy and thick with sleep Donny could hear the gentle but firm tone he used when he noticed something amiss. It was relatively new, and much more affective than his former scolding techniques.

"Yeah, I went to the junkyard but there wasn't anything I could use."

"That's a lie," he chuckled, not noticing Donny's suddenly rigid posture. "You can build anything from anything. There's nothing you can't use."

Don smiled sadly at the compliment. He was sad because of the way he'd been mentally bashing his brother as of late, and he hated himself for being so childish. Leo wasn't to blame, it was himself. He'd built his own rift by not trying to interact with his brothers more. He always seemed to wait for an invitation. It was unnecessary, and he knew it.

"Go back to bed Leo," he quietly shooed with a smile.

Leonardo stared sleepily for a moment before nodding and trudging away. As soon as he was in his room Don turned back to the paper.

This was going to get interesting.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer stared at the computer screen as she mindlessly checked appointments and scrolled through charts. She had to re-read an x-ray nearly six times before the problem with a man's mandibular jaw finally clicked and she began writing notes. She paused however at the slip of paper folded and tucked underneath her purse that sat next to the monitor. Looking around to make sure nobody was paying attention Jennifer pulled it out and unfolded it until the same chicken scratch as before greeted her.

_"I'm someone who was at the wrong place at the wrong time."_

What did **that** mean? Was he not suppose to have been in the sewers? Was she not suppose to have seen him? Placing one hand at her temple she massaged a premature headache away. Now she had more questions...and only one way to get them. But was it okay for her to write him back again? She could just drop this conversation right now. His reply seemed like a good wrap up to this odd situation. Taking that into account Jennifer forced herself to ignore the note for the rest of the day. After work she came home and ate dinner with Sean. They sat on the couch afterwards with a movie and Jennifer ended up having to half-drag him to bed after he fell asleep. Sighing she sat once more in her kitchen with some wine. Sean would sometimes tease her about being an alcoholic but she knew she wasn't. Red wine before bed was good for your blood pressure. The more bitter the better.

And that's how she was feeling at that moment. Bitter, but not getting better. She was surprised to find herself gazing at the object of her annoyance, not entirely sure how it got in her hand and not really even caring at this point. With one swift flick of the wrists, the note was torn in half and tossed to the kitchen floor. Jennifer growled as she realized her mistake. Now she had to get up and throw it away because it being on the floor was reeeeaaaaallllly going to bug her...

"Damn it all," she muttered as she slid off her chair to pick up the two halves. The fold had opened and the chicken scratch stared up at her once more. Slowly, Jennifer placed the two pieces back together and stared. All she needed to do was throw it away...so why was it so hard? What was so tempting about this situation that she couldn't resist. Never in her life had she given into unnecessary temptation, not even to carnal pleasures with Sean in high school. Not even to that chocolate cake sitting in the fridge that she denied herself because of her diet!

During her little mental tantrum the note had crumpled in her fists.

_ Just throw it away Jennifer. Walk to that trash can, toss it in and never look back._

But instead of the trash can Jennifer found herself sitting once again with her clicking pen and sticky notes. She sighed, a headache coming on, and tried to stop questioning her decision

...just one more.

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello chuckled as he re-read the new sticky note, trying to imagine what Jennifer's voice would sound like if she was actually talking to him.

_"I think I got the short end of that stick."_

It was an odd way of phrasing it, but he knew she was referring to how she'd fallen quite hard on her butt after being flung off the man hole. He imagined her tone to be snarky, and that thought alone was enough to make him grin. So she'd decided to continue? And so soon! He expected at least a one day gap, but it seemed, once more, Jennifer Wilkinson was not the predictable woman he'd first believed her to be. Putting pen to paper Don began writing.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer didn't know what to think of the next note.

_"I'm sorry about that by the way. Were you hurt?"_

She wasn't sure whether to be creeped out or touched with this stranger's concern. Wasn't this how horror movies went? The killer would lull his victim into a sense of false security by expressing concern. Then he would strike.

_Now this __**really**__ has to stop._

The stranger had crossed her mental boundaries and the wariness she'd felt before was now fueled by her own paranoia. This was going to be her **very** last note, and she was going to make sure he got the message.

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello frowned at the dinner table as he absently picked the toppings off his pizza.

_"I'm fine, but I would appreciate it if you stopped sending me notes."_

He couldn't stop thinking about her words and wondering what he had said to cause her sudden demand. Maybe he was starting to come off as a creeper...

Don physically face palmed at that. Of course he was coming off as a creeper. A stranger sending her notes and refusing to explain why he had been in the sewer in the first place would definitely be sending some suspicious signals.

"Um, Donny?"

Donatello blinked and looked at his younger brother's questioning expression. Ralph and Leo also stared. With flushed cheeks Don tried to play off the fact that he'd just slapped himself in the face for seemingly no reason at all.

"Yes?" he answered while taking a bite of his pizza. He wasn't hungry, and weight of the food on his tongue made him want to gag, but he forced himself to try and act normal. Really though he just wanted to get back to his lab. To solitude. Even though solitude had been the last thing he'd wanted for the past week.

He was turning into a hypocrite.

"You okay there bro?" Leo questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Don lied with a grin. "I just figured out something is all."

With that he grabbed his half eaten pizza and walked to his room. Leo and Raph shrugged, concluding he must have his mind on something big that he'd been working on this past week. The only one unconvinced however was Mikey. With narrowed eyes he watched his brother's retreating form. Something was definitely up...

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer sighed into her pillow and gazed into the dark of her bedroom. Beside her Sean laid on his back a good distance away, his pale chest rising and falling with even breaths. She turned to him for a moment and watched him sleep. It seemed their bed had an invisible barrier that was never crossed unless they had sex. He never cuddled, and she never rolled towards him. It was just something that didn't appeal to either of them. But that wasn't what had her mind buzzing tonight. It was the note she had received a few days ago from her mysterious sewer man. The last one.

_"I'm sorry if I'm scaring you with this whole situation, but please don't worry. I'll stop, I promise. But if you ever want to talk, just shoot me a text. I won't bother you ever again."_

At the end of the note had been a number, and Jennifer's blood had gone cold at the thought of even dialing it. Rolling over so her back was to Sean she glared at the drawer of her nightstand. For some reason she hadn't been able to throw away the note, and that's where it now resided. She imagined it taunting her, seducing her, and it made her angry. Mostly at herself though because she just couldn't let the whole thing drop. For the past couple days the idea of answering to it had festered in her mind. As a result she was unfocused and spacy at work, reading charts inaccurately and handing Josh the wrong tools during surgery. At home it was worse. Sean, the sweetheart, knew she was upset and tried to get her to talk to him about it. But all the did was snap at him for his constant prodding. She felt horrible for it afterwards and made up for it by treating him to sex that was all about **him**. It was something she learned always cheered him up. He'd been satisfied, but she knew he still worried. She hated herself for letting her emotions upset the balance of her stable life, and even more so for Sean getting caught in the crossfire. With a sudden burst of adrenaline Jennifer kicked off her covers and put on a robe. Quietly she opened the drawer, retrieved the note, and then quickly shuffled out of her apartment.

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello watched in amazement as Jennifer suddenly appeared on his monitor. He'd just been ready to shut everything down after a quick check of that area's perimeter but was now rooted to his chair in shock. Though the image was grainy Don could tell she held a look of fierce determination by the downward creases on her face. She reached the manhole and nearly stumbled from halting her brisk pace, and then with what looked like a frustrated yell she threw the crumpled note he'd given her and began stomping it into the ground. He watched in fearful awe as the cool and composed Jennifer Wilkinson went nearly insane, thick curly hair flying wildly about her face and fuzzy robe ready to fall off from her ruthlessness.

Her tantrum didn't last but a minute, clearly showing her lack of stamina, and she stood there for a moment to catch her breath. Don watched as she paced a bit before stopping in front of the manhole again. She was staring at the note now, and the tension between her eyes and the slip of paper was so thick Don almost forgot to breath. Then she let out a sigh and her shoulders sagged with defeat. Jennifer slowly bent and picked up the note before turning and trudging back to her apartment.

When she was gone Donatello leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He was suddenly filled with an immense sense of guilt. **He'd** been the one to drive Jennifer nearly crazy. It'd been **his** fault she'd ran out in the New York chill to let out her anger. But still, there was one good thing he couldn't ignore.

She'd kept the note.

But **was** that a good thing?

_Guess I'll just have to wait and see,_ he thought before turning off his lab light and heading to bed.

XxXxXxXxX

"Honey, are you sure you're okay?" Sean asked as he helped wash the dishes after their Christmas take-out dinner.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jennifer sighed tiredly, ready to go and take a hot shower before heading to bed.

Sean gave her a concerned smile and squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

"Okay, I'll be back in the morning. You know how it is with these guys."

Jennifer smiled and gave him a kiss goodbye. Sean was leaving to go Christmas partying with his friends. It was a guy's night, as it was every year, and she knew Sean being the responsible one had the job of getting everybody home safe and sound. He would usually come back the next morning with disgusting stories of alcohol and vomit, something that didn't faze Jennifer because she'd seen much worse at her office alone, and then take her out to the movies and then a **real** dinner. It was the same every year.

Sighing Jennifer went about taking her shower, throwing on a robe afterwards and settling down on the living room floor with a bottle of wine and the television for company. She drank straight from the bottle without care and flipped through the channels before settling on Rudolph. Why she was watching it, even she wasn't able to figure it out. The noise Rudolph's nose would make annoyed the crap out of her every time it lit up. But the alcohol must have already loosened her up, because she was now stretching like a cat out on the carpet, bottle nearly empty.

_Why did they choose red for his nose?_ She thought absently. _They could have come up with a weirder color, like blue, or pink...or green, like that man's skin..._

Jennifer suddenly found herself wondering how her stranger was doing. It'd been nearly a month since she'd received that last note, and true to his word she hadn't heard from him since. So did that mean he really hadn't been some kind of psychopathic serial killer? She snorted to herself and stumbled to her bedroom. With numb fingers she yanked open her nightstand drawer and snatched up its occupant. She hadn't handled it since that night she went nuts and stomped it into the ground. The paper sent a tingle through her hand and a chill ran its way up her spine. Flopping onto her bed she stared at the slightly faded ink.

Jennifer couldn't believe how much trouble it had caused her. The first week after receiving it was hell. She'd felt like a teenager smoking weed for the first time and then going crazy with an unheeded need to do it again. For the short time she'd interacted with this stranger Jennifer was surprised with the unhealthy addiction she'd so soon developed. What about this situation had her denying attention and groveling for more at the same time? It didn't make sense, and the alcohol only made her angry mind foggier. With a speed she didn't know she even possessed Jennifer hopped out of bed and into the kitchen where her cell phone was. Her mind was sluggish but she was able to put the number into the cellular device without messing it up. She paused though when the text message opened and it's blankness stared before her, waiting for her message to be written.

What would she write?

After a few moments of thinking the perfect answer finally came to mind.

What else would you say to somebody on this day?

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello followed Raphael across the rooftops and over gaps in their usual fashion of checking perimeters. They'd been quite busy the entire week before Christmas, but now that all the sales were gone and the holiday nearly over, all seemed to be quiet. Well, except for a few robberies here and a mugging or two there of course. It seemed Raph was really getting into the spirit of things while busting a few heads, even leaving a couple of the criminals conscious when they tied them up for the police to find.

But that wasn't the case for Don.

Ever since Jennifer's tantrum he'd had his shell cell nearly glued to his hand at all times just waiting to receive a message from her. It hadn't happened of course, and as the more days passed the more Don had moped. He reasoned of course it was the outcome and probably for the better, but he still couldn't shake off the childish hope that he'd finally befriended someone all on his own. That something good had come out of his "rebellious" actions. But no, nothing had come of it. Just more disappointment.

"Hey, fearless said everythin's clear on his side. Betta get goin before he starts nagg'n us ta hurry up."

Don nodded and followed slowly behind his older brother towards their home. Another successful patrol, just the same as all the others...

A beeping suddenly sounded and Don nearly tripped down the fire escape he'd been scaling. Getting a good grip on the ladder he pulled out his shell cell from his belt and stared at the unknown number. It was a text...but who-?

His body suddenly felt light with disbelief and he eagerly opened the message. After reading it a grin came to his face that made his cheeks sting. Don couldn't stare at it for long however. Raph's impatient voice traveled to his ears and he quickly put away the shell cell before dropping the rest of the way to the ground.

"You space'n out Donny boy?" Raph asked and lightly punched his shoulder.

Donatello smiled and shook his head, unable to say anything for fear of laughing with joy. He couldn't let Raphael see his sudden change in demeanor, it would raise too many unwanted questions. But as they traveled through the sewers towards their home, Don couldn't keep the smile off his face every time he replayed Jennifer's simple words in his head.

_"Merry Christmas."_

**A/N: DEAR LORD THIS CHAPTER WAS A NIGHTMARE! It was so hard...at least it's something. I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving!**


	4. Sloppy Kisses After the Countdown

"I'm sorry Donny," Leo apologized sheepishly as he handed over the broken microwave. "I don't know how it exploded..."

Don laid the kitchen appliance on his lab table for a quick examination. The circuitry was fried and nearly melted to an irreparable state. How Leo was able to do this by heating up a bowl of ramen noodles still boggled even the brightest of the brothers. But that was Leo for you, able to destroy with just the simplest of actions.

"Don't worry about it, I was thinking about getting a new one anyway," he shrugged off with a smile.

Leo's face contorted in confusion, shocked that he wasn't getting a lecture. He was even** more **confused that Don didn't even seem phased by the new inconvenience, instead he began _whistling. _

"Uh...Don?"

"Yes Leo?"

The younger brother smiled and picked up a new rucksack he'd recently began using in his junkyard raids. Hiking it onto his shoulder Don waited for an answer. Leo couldn't help but notice him bounce lightly on the balls of his feet, whether with happiness or just pent up energy it didn't matter. Leo hadn't seen his brother this jumpy without nerves in a long time.

_He must have finished his big project,_ Leo thought. _He hasn't been in his lab that much anymore._

"Nothing Don," he said finally. Then with a clap on the shoulder, "Be safe."

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello laid happily in a junk pile as he gazed into the stars. Absently his hands toyed with nearby scrap metal, ideas of what he could create flitting briefly through his mind before they were finally just ignored. With an impatiently tapping foot he waited for his shell cell to vibrate. It was near that time when she usually answered his text messages, Jennifer that is. With a smile he quickly scrolled through their past conversations.

It had started out kind of weird, or at least on **her** part he guessed. There was always a thick air of caution lingering in their conversations, **both** sides being careful not to reveal too much. Really all they've talked about was the weather and how their day went. She never asked questions about his personal life and he followed suit, and this caused their conversations to be pretty short. Though it didn't matter to him, he already knew the basics. He chuckled when he suddenly realized she hadn't even given him her name. Maybe today would be the day...

A smile came to his face when the phone did a little dance. Flipping it open he read the message.

_ "Work'n hard or hardly work'n?"_

Don couldn't help but laugh. He found it odd how she always gave him quirky initiatives, they just didn't seem to match up with the person he knew her to be. They'd been texting for nearly a week now and he'd begun to learn Jennifer Wilkinson had a lot more personality than she was willing to show. Taking out his stylus (for his fingers was too big for the keypad) he typed a reply.

_"Hardly work'n. There's not much to do at 11 'o clock at night."_

He didn't have to wait long for her answer.

_"Touché."_

With a chuckle he began typing away again.

_"Have a good day?"_

_ "It was okay, nothing special. You?"_

_ "Same here, my brother broke our microwave though."_

Donatello stopped abruptly, the stylus hovering over the 'send' button. This would be the first time either of them had ever given a hint about their home life. Was it really time to finally cross that line? What was the risk? Was it **even** a risk? Grinding his teeth slightly Don shut his eyes. The courage to do it had never been present before tonight.

It was now or never.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer stared at the text she'd just received, sitting at her little kitchen table with a spoonful of cereal hovering just inches from her mouth. She'd been honestly shocked by his reply. This was a new boundary he'd broken. Setting down the spoon she quickly typed a reply.

_"You have a brother?"_

It was a bit redundant, but she felt it would allow him to answer how he pleased. Either he elaborated or would nip the conversation in the bud. Quietly her cell phone vibrated, preventing her yet again from taking a bite of her Captain Crunch.

_"Yes, I have three."_

Jennifer unknowingly smiled to herself in surprise. So her little stranger was the first to give away information! She'd noticed for the past week that his texts were cautious, almost like he was just afraid of her as she was of him. The thought strangely comforted her. It made her feel as if he really wasn't dangerous. She was still plenty hyper-aware of how bizarre this situation was, but maybe now could be the time to relax a bit.

XxXxXxXxX

_ "Yikes, that sounds rough. I only have one."_

Don grinned. Yes, he knew she only had one, but he was glad to finally see she was willing to ease up on her line of tension as well.

_ "It's even rougher when I'm the smartest. Sometimes I can hardly keep a conversation with them."_

He could just imagine her light chuckle as she replied.

_ "Sometimes it's the same for me."_

Don sighed and set his cell shell down for a bit. A blissful smile slid lazily across his face as he closed his eyes and settled deeper into the junk surrounding him. This was the longest conversation they had ever had. His mind briefly flitted too their first exchange. A simple "_Hello" _and _"How are you?"_ and finally_ "Fine"_. And that was it. They were always very brief, and she rarely ever contacted him during the day. They gradually grew longer though of course, and he enjoyed her playful personality peaking out every now and then. He highly doubted she ever spoke to anybody else the way she did with him. He figured it came easier when never face to face.

Don was snapped from his thoughts when his shell cell vibrated and a grin nearly split his face. This was the first time she'd ever texted two messages in a row. She usually waited until he replied, and if he didn't supply one then the conversation was officially over. Opening the message Don read it quickly, then again, grin fading and eyes widening as he read it a third time over.

_ "Do you want to finally meet?"_

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer's fingers trembled and palms sweated after she'd sent the message. Taking in a shaky breath she got up from her kitchen chair and paced nervously. During the lull in their conversation Jennifer had received a text from Josh reminding her of the office New Years party. Another was sent quickly afterwards, nearly begging her to come so he could 'supposedly' meet Sean. She knew all he wanted to do was size up her soon-to-be-husband. The thought crossed her mind of throwing Sean to the sharks so to speak so she could run off and get drunk. Guilt followed as she decided that may just be what she would do if Josh pushed her too far. Sighing Jennifer sent a message to her coworker, and friend, Julie.

_"I'm going to the party."_

It was a simple text that held a heavy meaning. She knew most of her coworkers would rather not show up to the party, but none of them would ever dream of leaving her alone with Josh. Even though it was a mixture of about five nearby offices at a decent rented bar, Jennifer had never taken the time to socialize with anybody outside her own workforce.

_"We've got you're back ;)"_ was Julie's text and Jennifer heaved a sigh of relief. At least she'd have some security. Julie was always there to drag her away when Josh got too close for comfort. Especially at events like these with alcohol involved. But if her office was going, then surely the others were. After all, just because she was anti-social didn't mean the others were as well. Sighing again, Jennifer had continued eating her bowl of cereal. It was going to be very crowded. Julie would be off flirting it up and Jennifer would shoo Sean off to her boss. Nobody else would pay her any mind, and she was fine with that. They'd all be up to their noses in booze and being way too busy trying to forget that they were partying with their boss to bother her. After all, there's more privacy in a crowd.

And that's when the idea had hit her.

_I could invite my stranger,_ was her first thought, and she jerked slightly when she realized she'd nodded and agreed with herself. With an almost pained swallow she'd stared at her phone. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. After all, it was going to be pretty crowded, and she would make sure not to get caught with him alone. In fact, she wouldn't even leave the bar.

Flipping it open she quickly typed in a text and pressed send before her nerve left her.

And **then** she panicked.

"Oh shit what have I done?" she whispered to herself as she paced the floor. Quickly changing course she grabbed a bottle of wine from her fridge and sat down again. Taking an enormous swig she then shoved a spoonful of soggy Captain Crunch into her mouth as a chaser. The stress was enough to prevent her taste buds from registering the odd combination as she continued eating and drinking. Once finished she sat and stared at her phone, breathing heavily from her exertion and gripping the edge of the table in suspense. Her stomach gurgled with tension as the time passed but she ignored it. About five minutes passed before Jennifer's stomach finally lurched, the stress and the apparent grossness of what she was consuming finally caught up to her. She retched into the sink, emptying her stomach until all she could do was dry heave. With shaky hands she turned on the faucet to wash away her sickness, and as she washed her mouth out all she could think of was how stupid she'd been to send that message. Of course there was always the possibility the stranger would drop the issue, but what if he pressed? What if he started harassing her and cause her to constantly look over her shoulder every time she was alone?

Leaning away from the sink Jennifer took deep breaths in an attempt to not hyperventilate. Her phone lay next to her on the counter, but she couldn't recall grabbing it before spilling her guts. Once her breathing calmed she continued to stare at it.

_ Okay..._ she began to think. _He still hasn't texted back. Maybe I freaked him out. Maybe he won't talk to me anymore. Maybe-_

Her thoughts were stopped short when a loud ring cut through the air. Jennifer was momentarily frozen in fear as her phone lit up and rang again. Acting on impulse she answered it before the third ring, briefly hoping the noise hadn't woken Sean. There was silence on the other line, and Jennifer swallowed hard in near trepidation. There was absolutely no sound, not even his breathing, which she had expected to be heavy like in the movies. Her breath hitched when she was reminded of When a Stranger Calls, but her vocal chords refused to even allow her the scream that so desperately tried to crawl from her throat. Finally she heard shifting, something hard scraping against what sounded like metal, and then a voice.

"Hello?"

Jennifer nearly fainted as the light tenor drifted into her ears. The voice was airy, and somewhat uneasy, matching the way he'd shifted. He seemed uncomfortable with her silence, and Jennifer was glad he'd broken it. His tone made relief come crashing down in waves. He sounded more like a nervous teenager than a psychotic sewage-thriving murderer.

"Hi," she answered lamely, happy enough her voice hadn't cracked.

She could almost sense him smiling as he shifted again, the change in tone a dead give away.

"Oh, hi! Uh, wait I already said that...um, so, about that last text. Uh, heh, did you really mean it?"

Yup, definitely not a psycho.

Jennifer's brow creased in an almost giddy bewilderment, pondering his nervous chuckle as she sat back down at the table.

"Well, um, yes," she began. "I mean, if **you** want to."

"Of course!" he nearly shouted, then coughed to cover up the way his voice had cracked. Jennifer huffed with a smile, unable to believe this was the man she'd been so cautious of. He didn't sound **anything** like she'd pictured. His voice was young, she estimated somewhere around her own age, but there was a childlike element that lingered. Like an innocence that had yet to be tampered with adulthood. Wonderment. That was it. Almost as if talking to her was the most amazing thing in the world, and Jennifer was floored by it.

"So," he began when she had remained silent. "When do you want to meet?"

Jennifer hesitated briefly before shaking away the lingering doubt.

"Well, my work is having a New Years Eve party at Marlo's. Do you know where that is?"

"You mean the bar?"

"Yes."

"Sure, I know where it is. Um, so when do you want me there?"

Jennifer thought for a moment. How long did she want with the stranger? Everyone would be arriving at around ten, and then everybody not passed out under the bar stools would leave right after midnight.

"How about 11:30?"

There was more shifting and then a few moments of silence.

"Okay, that's fine."

"It's also a costume party," she added as an after thought. "I'm going as a nurse."

"Well that's a pretty generic costume," he laughed. Jennifer chuckled, preparing to end the conversation when she heard noises coming from her bedroom.

"My name is Donatello by the way."

Jennifer blinked at the unusual name, but it seemed to fit him in a way. Clearing her throat she extended the same courtesy.

"Mine is Jennifer."

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, good night."

"Good night."

She hung up just as Sean entered the kitchen. Sleepily he walked to her and kissed her neck.

"Who was that?"

Jennifer stood and took his hand, leading him back to bed.

"Just a friend."

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello ran through the sewers with a grin that could rival the Cheshire's. He ran until his lungs and muscles burned from the lack of oxygen that seemed to not even matter anymore.

Then he doubled his speed.

"Woohoo!" he hollered as he ran up the side of the sewer walls and flipped off to grab onto some nearby pipes. He performed a few flawless acrobatics before jumping off and running again, taking a few long detours to burn off the burst of adrenaline fueled by his happiness.

He felt near invincible!

He just couldn't get over how happy he was at that moment. He'd always dreamed of making a friend topside, one that he could have all to his self without the annoyance of his brothers butting in. Of course he had April, but most of her time was consumed by Casey and Leo. And Casey was really mostly Raph's friend anyway. Mikey was the one he considered closest, but Mikey was his brother. Don had began craving something new ever since Leo had returned from South America and they saved the world from those four stone soldiers.

And now he had it.

Jennifer.

Her name renewed his smile and he suddenly found himself at the entrance of the lair. Pulling the pipe lever he entered and was quickly met with the fiery gaze of his elder brother.

"Don?" Raph questioned as he watched his brother jog in place. "Watcha doin out so late?"

"Where are you going?" he asked. He didn't feel like answering any questions that could possibly spoil his night.

"M'goin ta bust some heads. Feel'n a little antsy being cooped up in'ere."

Don flexed his hands in thought before punching Raph's arm and jumping away towards the dojo.

"Wanna spar?"

Raph blinked in shock at his brother's playful attitude. He **never** wanted to spar willingly. At least not with Raph. But the cocky grin he sported told otherwise, and Raph's shocked features were soon overcome with a smirk.

"Bring it on little bro."

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer chuckled as Julie shot down yet another man hoping to buy her a drink as well as a ticket into her pants. The two friends stood side by side sipping on margaritas for it was still a little too early to start throwing back shots, and she wanted to be at least half sober before meeting her stranger. But Jennifer knew if he didn't show up soon her self control would break. Like she planned Sean served as a decoy after she'd introduced him to Josh and then quietly slipped away to Julie. Guilt ate at her stomach as she glanced over at the two. Sean looked sick as Josh chatted away, and from his expression he was boasting about something or other and putting the smaller man down. Probably about money, it was always about the money.

"So when is this **mystery **man going to show up?" Julie chuckled, slurping up the rest of her glass before moving onto another one. Julie had been the only one she'd told about Donatello. Not all the details of course but the fact that they had been chatting all week and finally meeting for the first time tonight.

"I told him 11:30. He's still got a few minutes," she said as she checked her watch.

_Five more minutes,_ she thought as she adjusted the hem of her short nurse's skirt. It was the slutty version of course, skirt nearly revealing her lacy thong and breasts ready to pop the delicate buttons of her top. That was all she could find at costume stores in this day of age. Julie was dressed as cat woman, though the tight leather outfit left little to the imagination. Jennifer had cracked up when Julie had complained of her inability to move in the costume, and she retorted with the fact that she could at bend over without falling out of her costume. Jennifer watched her friend as another man came to talk to them. Julie's black eyes sparkled with mischief as she twirled her equally clack her around her clawed finger. Apparently this man interested her, and Jennifer wasn't surprised to see this one dressed as a toothbrush, big ears sticking sorely out from his rats nest of hair and buck teeth prominent when he smiled. Julie had always liked the goofy looking guys.

"Hey Jen," she suddenly whispered, and Jennifer's eyelid twitched at the nickname. "Is that the guy?"

Jennifer turned her gaze forward and landed on a mound of clothing moving towards them.

"What's with all the coats? It can't be **that** cold outside," she continued to whisper.

"He's short," Jennifer said without thinking.

"And probably fat," Julie snickered.

But both shut up when he stopped in front of them.

XxXxXxXxX

Don had had one hell of a time convincing Leo to let him leave the lair that night. It had been almost eleven when Leo had blocked the doorway.

"Where are you going?" he'd asked in that gentle authoritative tone.

"I've got to get to the junk yard. There's something there I missed last night."

Don had never been a good liar, in fact, he was probably the worst at it. His eyes had shifted nervously from left to right as Leo's narrowed in suspicion.

"Come on Leo!" he'd finally blurted. "I'll be back before the ball drops!"

"Yeah, let him go Leo!" Mikey had joined in, flipping off the couch and grabbing Don in a head lock.

"You're little bro won't do anything wrong!"

Don flinched at the noogie he received but joined in with Mikey as they gave Leo the most pitiful puppy eyes they could muster. From the couch Splinter had chuckled, and that was all Leo needed.

"All right, but be back before the ball drops. Promise?"

"Promise!"

But he knew that was one promise he'd have to break.

Once topside in the ally beside Marlo's Don retrieved the heavy clothing from his rucksack and donned the pair of jeans and multiple zip-up jackets. After pulling on mittens (gloves were a no no since he only had three fingers) he placed a green mask on the top half of his face, wrapped a similarly colored scarf around his mouth, threw up his hood, and then made his way inside.

It was much more crowded than he'd expected. When she'd said office party he should have figured multiple businesses would be there. Her dental office was not the only one in the vicinity and there were sure to be connections. Melting against the wall he crept towards the back where there seemed to be a bit more space. His sharp brown eyes evaluated the perimeter and possible threats to his cover, but there was no need. Everybody was drunk, or at least well on their way, and nobody paid attention to the unknown stranger who'd slipped past the bouncer. If he was there, they assumed him to be one of their own. Half the people probably didn't even recognize each other, it was a costume party after all.

A familiar face caught his eye and he recognized the young man dressed as a doctor to be Jennifer's fiance, Sean. He didn't look too happy talking to the man beside him, who Donatello also recognized as her boss, Josh. Sean was guzzling a beer and swaying on his feet while Josh seemed to be ignoring him at that moment. His gaze was set past the crowd and towards the edge of the bar. His eyes were glazed with alcohol and...lust? Don narrowed his eyes in disgust as Josh seemed to be drooling, and he quickly followed his line of vision.

That's when he saw her.

Underneath his scarf Don's jaw dropped. He could see Jennifer standing at the end of the bar next to a woman dressed as Cat woman, but he paid her no mind. After over a month from the first time he'd seen her, and the grainy footage he'd been force to delete in case he be found out by his brothers, seeing her now, in **person**, left him speechless. He remembered thinking her pretty after the first encounter, comparing her to April and finding many similarities. But now, as she turned to her friend and laughed, he could see she was beautiful in many different ways. While April still held a sort of child like innocence in her face, he could see Jennifer was serious, a bit more hardened to the world. Her nose was nearly stick straight with a sharp dip upwards at the end, cheekbones high and proud, and strong jaw just delicate enough to remain feminine. Her neck was long and smooth, connecting to angular shoulders and a stick straight back. She had curves, but they were subtle, and her column shaped body almost didn't fit with the size of her breasts.

But what really seized him were her eyes.

Gray, an ongoing storm raging within them as they passed over the crowd. Cool, calm, and almost cruel. She could freeze hell he'd began to think before those eyes finally landed on him. He hadn't even been aware of his own movement before she'd seen him, and he ignored the jibes from her friend when he came within earshot.

He had eyes only for her.

XxXxXxXxX

"Hey," he greeted, and Jennifer heard Julie gasp beside her. Apparently she too found his voice appealing.

"Robbing the cradle I see," she began, doing her best to embarrass both her friend and the stranger. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," he answered, shifting uncomfortably under their scrutinizing gazes.

Julie gave an amused huff and Jennifer elbowed her. Extending him her hand she graced him with a cautious smile.

"Nice to finally meet you Donatello."

"Nice to meet you too Jennifer," he said shaking her hand. She could hear him smiling underneath the scarf.

"So what're you suppose to be?" Julie asked.

"Well," he began, reaching up to pull his hood back slightly, revealing what looked to Jennifer like the rim of a **very** realistic turtle shell. "I was going to be a turtle, but then I thought I'd look silly."

Jennifer gave him a smile and held up a hand towards the crowd.

"I don't think you need to worry about that."

Donatello chuckled as he watched someone dressed as a donkey climb up onto the bar before being tackled down by what looked like the creature from the black lagoon. Silence fell over the group and Julie finally left with the toothbrush guy, teasing Jennifer by warning not to get too rowdy with her new companion. After all she was spoken for.

"Wait! Before I go! I've got to get a picture of you two!"

Julie gave them both a fuzzy navel before whipping out her cell phone.

"Say cheese!"

Jennifer posed with a grin, leaning close to Donatello as he nervously stood beside her. If Leo found out he'd gotten his picture taken the device would be hunted down and destroyed. But he figured his costume was good enough, and he was sure Jennifer wouldn't allow this picture to be shown to just anybody.

With a flash the deed was done and Julie left, promising to send the picture to Jennifer later.

Left alone now the two stood awkwardly the sipping drinks, few words being exchanged as they chose instead to just bob their heads to what blared from the speakers. The music over head had been loud and obnoxious all night, so when a slow song came on, the entire mood changed as everybody grabbed a partner. Donatello saw this as his chance to finally start up a conversation.

"Care to dance?" he asked, offering up his large hand.

Jennifer nodded before casting a glance to where she'd last seen Sean. He was now up against the wall, eyes heavy with sleep as he lazily took swigs from his beer.

_He'll be fine_, she thought to herself before letting him take her hand.

"I don't usually like to dance," she blurted once they'd settled into a rhythm.

"Oh really?" he asked, settling one hand on her waist and being careful not to get too close. "I don't think you're too bad.

Jennifer gave him a smirk and noticed for the first time in the past twenty minutes that he had brown eyes. She'd never like brown eyes. They swayed for a bit in silence before she finally broke it.

"So," she began, questions wanting to spill from her mouth but not sure in which order. "You've got brothers? Tell me about them."

She could tell a smile slid across his face by the way the scarf moved.

"I've got three, two older and one younger."

"Was it rough growing up?"

"A little I guess. The eldest is a pretty self righteous guy."

"Is he a jerk?"

"Nah, just over protective. The second eldest is a hothead. Now **he's** the jerk."

They both shared a laugh and he continued.

"My younger brother is a dork."

"Let me guess, a comic book kind of guy?"

"Yeah, and video games. But he's so popular with everybody. I guess you could say he's an all around good guy."

Silence fell again and the song changed. It was still slow so they continued to sway.

"What about you?" she asked, eyes piercing into his. "What kind of a guy are you?"

With a shrug Don looked away. It felt as if she were peering into his soul, and the intensity of it was almost too much.

"Boring I guess," he began admittedly. "Brains are really the only thing I've got going for me."

With a snort, Jennifer gave him a disbelieving look.

"I highly doubt that."

Don's mouth opened slightly as their eyes met again. The count down had begun behind them from ten, everybody preparing to get their kiss on. The mood was ruined however by her next question.

_**10!**_

"So are you ever going to tell me why you were in the sewer?"

_**9!**_

Shocked into silence Don stopped moving all together.

_**8!**_

Confused, Jennifer was going ask what was wrong before she was suddenly shoved into him by one of the more rowdy party goers.

_**7!**_

Donny caught her and felt her gasp against his plasteron.

_**6!**_

Jennifer didn't know what to think as she was suddenly smashed into something very hard.

_**5!**_

_Holy shit is this his chest?!_ She thought before being wrapped up in what she could only describe as a mass of muscle. _Oh my god he's ripped!_

_**4!**_

"Hey, you okay?" he asked worriedly, pulling her chin up to make sure she hadn't hurt herself.

_**3!**_

He wasn't prepared for her eyes to suddenly widen as she stared just below his eyes. Jennifer was shocked beyond belief at the green skin suddenly revealed to her after his scarf fell. When he spoke she saw that he didn't have lips but more of a muzzle.

"You're green," she whispered, just loud enough for him to realize what had happened. "You really are green!"

_**2!**_

In one swift move she was suddenly pushed back. Stumbling she found herself being grabbed from behind and roughly turned around.

_**1!**_

A familiar pair of lips sloppily attached to hers in a drunken wet kiss. Jennifer's eyes slid to the side and away from Sean as she desperately searched for Donatello.

Brown met gray for a moment, and she noticed he'd yet to correct his scarf.

But then she blinked.

And he was gone.

With a loud smack Sean finished the kiss and gave her a goofy grin, then promptly passed out face first onto the floor. Jennifer rubbed her mouth of the alcohol he left behind and stood for a moment to catch her breath. A vibrating in her bra drew her gaze away from the space Donatello had occupied, and she almost cried for reasons unknown when she saw who had texted her.

_"Happy New Year._

_ You're hopefully new friend-_

_ Donatello"_

**A/N: GAH! So close! I tried to get this done before the ball dropped but I'm about half an hour late. Ah well, happy new year everybody! Sorry for any mistakes you may find or rough patches in this chapter. I wanted to get it done before new years. Plus, I'm buzz'n a bit right now to be honest. I was drinking and playing scrabble with my family. That's how we do new years! Okay, it's my first year drinking but I was responsible! And I won scrabble!**


	5. Stripping in the Rain

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sean asked in concern as he bent over the bed stroking Jennifer's brow.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all right," she said with a smile, swatting his hands away halfheartedly.

"Just don't strain yourself today," he began, moving away to fix his shirt buttons. "You're fever is still pretty high."

Sean caught her rolling eyes in the mirror and stopped fussing. He knew she hated feeling helpless and waited on. Nothing grated on her nerves more than people doing things for her she could have otherwise done herself.

"I'm gone," he stated, sweeping in for a quick kiss before trotting off to work.

Once alone Jennifer pulled back the covers and trudged into the kitchen. A lazy glance at the clock told her it was about time to make some lunch. A vibration sounded on the kitchen table and she sighed at the text. It was Josh again, asking how she was feeling and when she might be coming back to work. For the second time since yesterday she texted him back, telling him her fever remained high and showed no signs of dropping anytime soon. His reply made her scoff a bit in insult. Since she'd come down with the fever on New Years after the party, Josh had assumed she'd caught it from kissing someone or sharing a drink. First of all, the only person she'd kissed that night was Sean. And second of all, she stuck to her own liquor and never set down her glass. Jennifer knew exactly where her fever came from.

Stress.

After Donatello had left, Jennifer's mind had been a jumbled mess. She had been confused, hurt, scared, and even more confused, and the combination of it all had her feeling nauseous. Dragging Sean with her she'd quickly hailed a cab and headed home early, the image of Donatello's lower facial features becoming clearer and clearer. And the more she'd sat in the cab thinking, the more she realized she was going into shock. Sean drunkenly hugged her as she began shivering violently, though he remained ignorant, concluding she was just cold in her skimpy nurse's outfit. Once home Sean was able to make it into the apartment relatively unharmed (only a few bruises from falling) while Jennifer had bolted into the bathroom and locked it. She'd sat quietly on the toilet seat replaying the night, the words and dances she'd shared with Donatello, and when Sean's snores were heard drifting from the bedroom, she'd finally allowed herself to sob.

The next morning Sean had found her laid out on the bathroom floor, sickness in the toilet and forehead hot enough to fry an egg.

Not even bothering to text him back she slowly went about making some soup. It was the only thing she could really keep down right now, even if what she really craved was some chocolate. She was just getting the soup to boil when her phone vibrated again. Jennifer smiled when she saw it was from Julie but it quickly vanished at the message.

_"Here's to you and lover boy!"_

Beneath it was the picture she'd taken of her and Donatello at the New Years party. Her first instinct was to delete it, get rid of it before she got herself worked up again. But just as that night, Jennifer found herself captivated by his brown eyes. They sparkled nervously from the flash, but she could tell he was smiling underneath his scarf, examining intently the crinkled corners of his eyes. Sighing again Jennifer, instead of deleting or simply ignoring it, saved the picture and haphazardly threw her phone onto the kitchen table. She hadn't realized how long she'd been staring at the picture until she discovered her soup burned.

XxXxXxXxX

It was around eight 'o clock that night when she found herself stressed again. As if her fever hitting 102 again hadn't already made things worse, she'd received a text from Donatello, and the image of his...in-humanness plagued her mind once more.

_"Hey Jennifer..."_

It wasn't anything unusual, but the notion that he still thought she would talk to him after seeing his...face, was completely absurd.

And it was even more absurd that she was going to do just that.

_"You're green."_ she replied simply, as if accusing him. But she wasn't, not really.

Okay maybe.

_"...Yes."_ he texted back after a full ten minutes in which she filled by changing out her ice pack and wiping her forehead dry.

_"Why?"_

_"Would you believe skin condition?"_

She almost smiled.

Almost.

_"Of course not."_

She pictured him flinching. Yes, feel guilty. He deserved to suffer just as much as she was right now.

Almost immediately her phone began ringing, and she slowly settled on the living room couch before answering.

"Hello?"

She heard his breathing. It was fast and light, like the beating of a hummingbirds wings.

She hated hummingbirds, they were annoying.

"Hi Jennifer."

Donatello's light tenor drifted through the speaker and caressed her ears. He sounded so nervous, so dorky, like a shy, awkward teenager. Jennifer had never realized how nice it was, and she soon found herself reluctantly relaxing into the cushions.

"Hi Donatello," she finally returned, and she could've swore he sighed in relief.

"I thought I scared you off for a while."

"You did actually," she replied bluntly, and his soft chuckle really did make her smile that time.

"I get that a lot."

There was a lull in the conversation then, and they both sat silently, listening intently for any sign that the other was going to speak. In a soft voice, Jennifer was the first to break it.

"I'm still afraid you know," she nearly whispered, and her eyes teared up slightly. She blamed it on the fear, but they both had a feeling that wasn't really the case. At least not all of it.

"I know," he replied at the same volume. His tone was somber, and it left a sour taste in her mouth. He sounded as if this was something he went through everyday.

"Are you..." she began, almost chickening out but forcing herself to finish the question. "Are you human?"

Her breath hitched as she waited for his reply, and the silence was driving her crazy. The urge to just hang up nearly overtook her before he finally answered.

"Technically."

_Technically?_ She thought incredulously. _What the hell did that mean?_

"I don't understa-"

"And I don't know if I want you to," he suddenly cut in. His voice was harsh now, pained. Jennifer did not like where this was going, and she felt the longer this conversation went the more shit would hit the fan.

"Well if you won't let me then I'm hanging up now. Don't ever bother me again."

Her words were cool but her anger had risen, and she quickly jammed the 'end' button and threw the phone out of reach onto the carpet. A long moment passed as she simply stared at it. Huffing in annoyance Jennifer left the couch and picked it up. She hadn't wanted to hang up on him, but his refusal to explain what the hell he was made her want to scream. She hated not knowing, hated being ignorant of a situation. It always messed with her plans.

There was suddenly a tapping sound and Jennifer jumped with a squeak. Her head whipped towards the direction it had came from and froze. Someone had been tapping the glass of her fire escape window. Getting a hold of herself she slowly made her way towards it. Just outside on the landing Jennifer's eyes widened at what appeared to be a bowl covered in saran wrap. She stared for a long moment before finally opening her window (with much effort) and retrieving it. As soon as she picked it up she recognized the liquid inside to be soup, but it wasn't until she set it down in the kitchen that she found the note stuck to the bottom.

_Get well soon._

_ -Donatello_

_ P.S: We need to talk, I'll call you again tomorrow._

XxXxXxXxX

"Babe, sit down. You're going to make your fever worse."

"I can't sit down Julie! Not when I've got a freaking stalker!"

Julie sat on Jennifer's couch as she watched her friend pace relentlessly around her small living room.

"Well he didn't seem so bad at the party-"

"The creep knows where I live! And I didn't even tell him! Does he still not seem bad to you?"

Julie sighed and went to the kitchen.

"So he made you this?" she asked as she tapped the soup bowl Jennifer had yet to throw out. "At least it's a nice gesture."

"How did he know I was sick?" Jennifer huffed in annoyance as she realized Julie was not absorbing the seriousness of the situation. "I came down with a fever in the middle of the night three days ago and had not contacted him until the night he left** this**."

Julie shrugged and replaced the saran wrap with a paper towel.

"What are you doing?" Jennifer asked as she watched her friend pop the bowl into the microwave.

"I'm gonna try it."

"Wha-! Are you mental? It could be laced with poison!"

"We'll never find out if we don't try it, huh?" she teased with a wink.

Jennifer sat down slack jawed at her friend's stupidity as the microwave beeped and Julie grabbed a spoon.

"I"m taking you to the hospital as soon as you swallow that," Jennifer warned with malice.

"Well if you weren't planning on eating it why did you refrigerate it?" she shot back with a grin before slurping up the bowl's contents.

Jennifer stiffened as her friend's face contorted in disgust.

"That is the saltiest chicken noodle soup I've ever tasted. God! How much sodium is in the shit?"

Julie's reaction prompted Jennifer to sag in relief.

"No poison?"

"Nope, just a cheap brand of soup."

Julie smiled and slurped up some more as Jennifer grabbed her some water.

"So he's coming to see you again?"

"Tonight I guess."

"Ooo, a romantic rendezvous on the fire escape?" she asked which earned a light punch to the shoulder.

"Yeah right, as long as he's okay with cop cars hanging out underneath it."

Julie rolled her eyes and offered Jennifer a spoonful. It was not-so-politely rejected.

"Just keep the window locked," Julie began as she stood to wash the bowl. "And only if he starts trying to break the glass you call 911."

"So what am I suppose to do? Talk to him on the phone while I'm on the couch and him on the fire escape?"

Julie's mouth turned down and eyebrows up in a way that said "pretty much". Jennifer laid her head in her hands and sighed.

"All right!" she finally exclaimed, head still in hands. "I must be going crazy..."

With a squeal Julie grabbed her up in a hug. Jennifer groaned as she began jabbering anew at the fairy tail situation she was in.

_More like sci-fi... _Jennifer thought before settling down and ignoring Julie.

XxXxXxXxX

It was eight o'clock at night when Donatello found himself once again on the fire escape just outside Jennifer's window. Nervously he fiddled with his shell cell as he silently watched Jennifer trudge around the kitchen. At that moment he felt like a total creep, but he'd already taken the risk of letting her know he knew where she lived last night. After the New Years party he was just as equally freaked out as she, possibly even more. But he was at the point of no return now. She'd **seen** him, his facial features at least, and the excuse that it was just an obscuration of the dark had run its course. Going to her apartment however, as he thought back now, had been kind of a stupid idea. He'd been stressed, and that made him impulsive.

Donatello nearly dropped his shell cell when it vibrated, signaling a call and shocking him out of his thoughts. A brief moment of panic seared through his veins as he thought it was one of his brothers calling to ask where he was. He sagged in relief however when the caller id showed it was Jennifer. Nervous and sweating he answered.

"Jennifer?"

"You're here aren't you?"

Donatello peered into the window and saw that she had his back to him in the kitchen.

"Yes."

Silence.

She still didn't move.

"Jenni-"

"Stop," she commanded with a shaky breath. "I'm still trying to absorb this."

He submitted and kept quiet. She was still so scared of this situation, but really, what did he expect? That she would just let him in her life with open arms? Even with April it had taken at least a couple days for her to not jump or scream when they would suddenly appear in her apartment. Mikey even got pegged in the head with a bow dryer once.

"I see you're still wearing that disguise."

Don jumped and whipped his head towards the window. Jennifer was now on her living room couch staring intently at him. He briefly wondered how long she'd been there before answering her.

"I try not to let people see me."

Her eyes narrowed in a glare.

"You could've tried harder."

She was angry at him for ever coming into her sight in the first place, and he accepted her fury. In her mind he had ruined her perfectly stable life by his unnatural presence. This was not the Jennifer who sent him quirky texts and smirked at his awkwardness. This was the Jennifer he had first pinned her to be. Cold, calculating, and close minded. She was denying him access into her life, he could see it in her eyes. If he had been a regular human things would have turned out different. But he was a turtle, a mutant.

Something that had no place in her plans.

"You don't want me here," he stated more than questioned.

She gave him no reply.

"I'll go then. I won't bother you anymore," he began, standing. Then he turned his back to her and looked down into the ally, hope rising in his voice. "But...if you change your mind..."

A beeping sounded from his phone.

She'd hung up.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer let the phone drop to the floor as she watched him jump from the fire escape. A gasp escaped her lips and before she knew it her legs had driven her to the window. It was dark so she couldn't see anything, yet she still squinted in vain to try and make out any movement. Nothing stirred.

Biting her lip in irritation she paced the living room.

"I'm a bitch," she said out loud, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "And I'm talking to myself."

Scooping up her cell phone once more she dialed Julie's number.

"So how'd it go?" she asked immediately after the first ring.

"I screwed up," was Jennifer's simple summary of the whole encounter. She heard Julie curse on the other line and rolled her eyes.

"Jennifer Elaine Wilkinson! There are very few people who are able to put up with you and you just drove off another potential friend! Now tell what he said before I go ape shit on you!"

Jennifer huffed at the full use of her name but complied.

"He said he was going to leave me alone but-"

"Jennifer why would you-"

"Let me finish!" she yelled before her friend could chew her out even more. "But he also said if I changed my mind-"

"Then you'll call him!"

Julie did a full 180 and was now excited and happy with Jennifer rather than irritated. But Jennifer stayed quiet, and she could feel Julie sensing her resistance.

"Jen babe," she began softly, comforting, almost as if she were right next to her. "Just give this guy a chance. I can tell he's...different, because you act really weird when you talk about him, and I get the feeling I'm not hearing the whole story. But still, you were happy when you told me about his texts. And at the party...girl you never dance! If he can do all this, then he's worth letting him into your life."

Jennifer sniffled and realized she'd teared up a bit at her friends heartfelt speech. She sighed in annoyance however to cover up her smile.

"You always know just what to say to manipulate me don'tcha?"

Julie laughed so hard she snorted.

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello cried out as he landed hard on his right shoulder. Leonardo gazed worriedly at his brother as he picked himself up and slid once again into a defensive stance. Michelangelo repeated the move once more, faking a kick to the knee, then to the neck, and finally giving a real spinning back kick to the face. Don blocked it but was not prepared when Mikey suddenly landed on his hands and kicked out like a donkey. Don grunted and fell backwards at the blow to his plasteron.

"Score two for Mikey!" he shouted in triumph before being elbowed in the back of the head by Raph.

"I'm about to knock you down a peg...or twenty."

As they commenced sparring Leo watched Don slowly stand up and trudge out of the dojo. He'd been like that ever since he'd come home the other night. He seemed unfocused, which was unusual behavior for him to say the least. He was always aware of his surroundings, and although he wasn't the best fighter, defense was what he exceeded in. Leo followed too late and was met with the lab door slammed in his face. Don hadn't even noticed he was there, or if he did he made a point by ignoring him. Leo wasn't sure what to do and stood there awkwardly. Don had always been just as mature as he, and Leo could count on him to not need consoling all the time. Over the years Leo had trained himself to be able to deal with Raph's anger and Mikey's whims, but since Donny never really had problems Leo was at a loss as how to go about addressing them. Would he resolve it himself like he always did? Or would he need help this time?

Clenching his fist he prepared to knock, but a muffled sound caused him to burst through the door in alarm.

XxXxXxXxX

Donatello sagged into his computer chair in anger. He was above self-pity, but still childish enough to blame others for his problems.

And right now he felt like blaming Jennifer.

He was annoyed how her actions left him an emotional wreck. He'd been rejected by society so many times he would have thought he was over it all by now. But the fact that he'd been so **close**...!

Leaning forward he put his head in his hands and took in a shaky breath.

She was just like all the others. Cruel, cold, hurtful...and afraid. He wondered if this was how Raphael felt all the time, and at that moment he never understood his brother clearer. The anger burned his soul, fueled his adrenaline, and clouded his mind all at the same time. But he didn't feel like beating the shit out of people like Raph. He felt like crying.

"This is ridiculous," he whispered to himself but couldn't stop his vision from misting. "I'm so pathetic."

A whir sounded and he recognized it as his shell cell receiving a text. He hoped it was April, then he could focus on something else for a change and try to forget Jennifer. Slowly he righted himself and rolled to edge of his computer station where the phone was. The tears hanging at the edge of his eyes finally dropped at the identity of his messenger.

"Jennifer..." he breathed, almost too quiet for even him to hear. He nearly dropped the shell cell trying to open the message.

_"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this."_

He smiled. That sounded more like the Jennifer he knew. He noticed there was more to the message, and when he scrolled down he choked out a loud laugh that turned into a sob. It was the picture of them at the New Years Eve party, and all he wanted at that moment was to just stare and absorb the happiness it radiated.

But then Leo kicked in the door.

"Don! Are you okay?!"

Without thinking Don chucked the phone into the lab cot and quickly wiped his eyes.

"Geez Leo, ever heard of knocking?"

Leonardo examined his brother's reddened eyes and set his mouth in a rigid line.

"Don, what's wrong?"

Donatello stopped the snapping retort he wanted to give. If he wanted to leave the lair tonight without being followed, he needed to keep his cool.

"I'm just...tired, Leo." Leonardo watched his brother spin his rolling chair towards him. "And...lonely."

At this confession Leo felt like he understood. He shifted from foot to foot, a little uncertain how he could comfort his brother. They had all gone through this, even himself, and he remembered when Splinter had all sat them down one at a time and listened to their frustrations. It wasn't the sexual loneliness, (Leo nearly blushed when he remembered **that** talk) but just the lack of companionship. Raph had never really gotten over and accepted their isolation, but he'd been sure Don wouldn't have been the one to bring it up more than once. He always acted like his machines and technology were enough, but apparently Leo still didn't fully understand his brother. He felt like an idiot for thinking Don wouldn't have these kinds of problems.

"Don-"

"It's okay Leo," he cut him off.

Standing he gave his brother a tired smile, but something shined in his puffy eyes that surprised the eldest brother. It told him Don was really going to be all right, and somehow in the span of five minutes all the negative emotions he'd been harboring had suddenly been lifted. And when he said he was going out, Leo didn't hesitate to let him go.

Because everything was going to be all right.

XxXxXxXxX

Jennifer didn't know the exact moment he arrived, but she knew he was there. It was night time again, Sean was at work, and she was nervous. Not so nervous that she was going to chicken out, but close. Slowly she made her way to the living room and sat on the couch. He was sitting on the fire escape again, leaning against the barred railing and head turned towards her. He held up his hand in a wave and she could clearly see that lack of five fingers.

It was then she noticed he was soaked.

Rain was pouring outside and the fire escape's holey design left little to no protection against the freezing droplets. And yet he still sat there, apparently waiting for her to initiate the conversation. Standing she walked cautiously towards the window. He watched her, or at least she thought he was for the hood he wore only revealed his mouth. When she stopped and stood for a moment he did as well. They stayed that way for awhile and Jennifer inwardly commented again on how short he was. They were the same height.

She still wasn't sure if he couldn't really see, but she made a motion for him to pull back his hood. He complied and she took in the way he squinted as the rain assaulted his eyes. He wore a purple mask that frayed slightly at the edges and whipped fiercely about his head in the wind. All the rest was green, and she took in a breath as she absorbed the strangeness of his features. Her eyes finally traveled down his heavily clothed body and back up to his eyes. She gave him an upwards nod and he slowly began to peel off the layers.

His plasteron was revealed first and she remembered how hard it had been when he'd prevented her from falling. It looked scuffed but smooth, and she wondered briefly what he'd done to have earned the imperfections. Jennifer fought the impulse to turn her gaze elsewhere when he dropped the sweatpants. She knew enough of turtle anatomy to know what to expect from an ordinary turtle, but he was a mutant, a combination of human and turtle DNA. Who knew what would be dangling between those muscular thighs? Relief hit her when she saw nothing (though she was pretty sure if he **did** have something there in the first place he wouldn't flash her) but her eyes soon widened at his enormous two-toed feet. She would hate to see the bill for his custom made shoes, if he even owned any.

After the last bit of clothing dropped away he held out his arms, almost as if to say "Satisfied?". Jennifer gave him another once over and noticed he was shivering slightly. Freezing January rain would do that to you. She held up a finger for him to stay put and jogged away into her bedroom. She returned with the biggest and fluffiest towel she could find and put it under her arm. With both hands she popped open the rusty lock on the window with a grunt of effort, and Donatello waited patiently as she pulled it open. Once she succeeded she unfolded the towel and offered it to him.

Donatello stared silently at it, then at her, and then to the floor. Rain had begun to blow into her apartment and Jennifer's face screwed up at the chill. His hesitation was beginning to grate on her nerves.

"Are you coming in or not?"

The harsh tone caught him by surprise, but her stormy eyes held a gentleness he'd never seen from her before. It melted away his uncertainty, and with a grin, he finally stepped into the warmth.

**A/N: YESH! I have updated! So, what do ya think? Finally glad their interacting? Me too! The whole thing with him sitting on the fire escape and chatting on the phone had originally been planned to span over a couple of days but I figured I'd dragged this whole mess long enough. Some of the scenes were rushed but I figure this chapter isn't that bad. Please review and share your thoughts! :D**


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